U.S. House aims to split Sandy aid bill into two parts

(Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to split a $60.4 billion Superstorm Sandy disaster aid bill into two parts, staging votes on $27 billion to fund immediate recovery needs and $33 billion for long-term and other projects, Republican lawmakers and aides said on Monday.

The plan for votes on Tuesday or Wednesday would meet the demands of many Republican lawmakers to vote on a smaller initial package of aid for victims of the October 29 storm that devastated New York and New Jersey coastlines.

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"There's going to be two votes, unless the plan changes - one at $27 billion and one at $33 billion," said Representative Steven LaTourette, a member of the appropriations committee who will retire from Congress when it adjourns on Wednesday.

Should the House fail to pass a Sandy bill by then, the Senate's $60.4 billion measure would expire, and the new Congress that gets sworn in on Thursday would have to start over with new legislation, further delaying the disaster funds.